


Going Abroad

by Bluethealpha



Series: The Best is Yet to Come [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Other, Pokemon, Pokemon OC, Pokemon Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluethealpha/pseuds/Bluethealpha
Summary: MATURE WARNING FOR: Violence, Mature Themes, LanguageRufina Elm, an aspiring breeder and research assistant for her father, Professor Elm, sets off on a journey around the world of Pokemon to learn about the many species mankind coexist with. All while also making some lifelong friends, Ru finds herself facing many challenges.
Relationships: Prof. Elm/OC
Series: The Best is Yet to Come [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924591
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	1. Starting Young

No Mature Warning

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"Finally! I get to come to work with you!" Ru bounced impatiently in her seat on the passenger side of her father's old white truck. The moment she saw the tower of the massive lab, the little brunette couldn't help but press her chubby face against the window. Her green eyes sparkled in delight and she couldn't wait any longer, leaping out of the vehicle even before it could be put into park.

"R-Rufina!" Her father was quick to park and shut off his truck, rushing after his energetic daughter to grab her by the hand. Professor Elm let out a sigh and slumped his posture as he was relieved to see Ru wasn't harmed from her half-stunt. "That was awfully dangerous what you just did there, you know..! You could've fallen under the car, tripped and hit your head, or you could've-"

"I didn't though!" The little girl interrupted Professor Elm and giggled, pulling her hand out of his grasp to rush up the stairs to the front door. She tried pulling the large red doors open but they didn't budge. She curled her bottom lip into a pout and tried even harder to pry those double-doors wide open. Her father shook his head and pulled out a single key from his white lab coat, he couldn't help but smile as his daughter stepped aside to let him unlock the lab. "Honestly, I don't know how your mother can handle you in the mornings when I leave for work...just promise me you won't cause too much trouble while I do my studies. And I have to call Professor Oak later today so you best be good when I'm speaking with him."

"You mean to argue with him about your hypothesis on the difference between water-type eggs and fire-type eggs? Or about your theory about how the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh is more mischievous than we think they are, and they purposely make those who see them out to be mentally insane? Or what about the theory of how Suicune, Entei, and Raikou are really just-"

"Alright, alright, fair point." Professor Elm frowned and shook his head, pushing the door open and switching on the lights. Watching Ru run into the lab, he chuckled and approached his desk; "Now, as soon as my assistants arrive, I have a surprise for you. But that is if you can finish your homework before they get here. Think you can do that?"

Ru beamed and jumped around with joy, nearly shaking Elm out of his desk chair; "Yes! Yes! YES! I'll finish it all before you can even start work! You'll see!"

"Alright, then why don't you use the desk over there to do your homework? If you're stuck on something, don't hesitate to ask for help." Professor Elm pointed to one of the small tables just within his view behind some large, boxy machines. Ru nodded and took off with her backpack, hanging it on the desk chair and rummaging through its contents for her school books.

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A couple of hours had passed, Professor Elm was already hovering over Ru's chair helping her with her homework, occasionally pointing to her papers before she scribbles near where he instructed. Just as he sat up to relieve the stinging in his lower back, he heard the front doors creak open. "Professor! It hatched!" A young woman shouted as she slammed the door shut behind two other lab assistants.

Professor Elm immediately whipped around, seeing the green-haired woman holding a squirming object with a blanket. "Already? It wasn't due to hatch until next week! What about the others?"

"No, just this one. And you won't believe the coloration of its coat!" The assistant waited until the man came up to her to partially remove the blanket. A big Houndour pup lifted its head and looked directly at the Professor with its big pink eyes. Its blue coat sparkled in the light, causing the grown man to widen his eyes in bewilderment. He beamed and looked over his shoulder at his daughter; "Ru, come here, quick!"

The little girl jumped out of her seat and rushed to her father's side, looking up at him first before turning her head to greet his assistants. Before doing so, she spotted the blue Houndour and gasped in awe; "Oh my gosh! It's an alternate color Houndour! They're so much prettier in person!" She said, completely astounded while reaching out to touch the Pokémon. The pup hesitated when noticing the small hand reach for its head and cautiously sniffed the thin digits before licking them with its pink tongue.

"What if I told you your surprise was picking out your very own Pokémon egg?" Professor Elm leaned down to Ru's height, watching her pale green eyes light up. He chuckled; "But I suppose since this little one couldn't wait to meet you, you can either pick her or wait to see what the other-"

"I WANT THE HOUNDOUR!" Ru nearly ripped the puppy out of the assistant's arms, struggling to hold her due to her weight. "She sure is heavy for just hatching!"

The assistant knelt down to help the little girl hold the Houndour properly and take the blanket away, smiling happily. The Professor felt so proud seeing his daughter holding her first Pokémon, already seeing what could be the start of a great friendship. "Are you gonna give her a nickname?" He asked.

Ru looked at the Houndour, who looked right back at her with those baby-doll eyes. The girl examined the young Pokémon briefly before nodding to her father; "I'm gonna call her, Sapphire! You know- since she's blue like one?" She held up the Houndour to her face, staring into Sapphire's pink eyes until she started licking her face. Sapphire yipped happily and wagged her stubby tail, squirming a little in Ru's arms.

Professor Elm could feel his heart fluttering seeing his only daughter embracing her first Pokémon and rushed to his desk to grab his old polaroid camera, bringing it back and getting on his knees in front of Ru, "Lemme take a picture of you two!"

Ru giggled and readjusted Sapphire in her arms, smiling for the camera as her father took the picture. She then put the Pokémon down, watching the Houndour sniffing the tile and exploring the lab curiously. "So, do you have any plans for your future now that you have Sapphire there?" One of Professor Elm's assistants asked curiously.

The girl nodded, smiling and crossing her arms proudly; "I wanna be a Pokémon breeder someday! I wanna learn all there is to know about EVERY Pokémon so I can be the best breeder in the world! Starting with breeding Houndoom's!"

"Oh, so you don't want to be a Pokémon trainer?"

Ru shook her head, looking out the window to her right; "I like watching people battle but I don't see myself joining leagues or anything. Sure, I'd love to battle and train a few Pokémon but I don't think I wanna be a trainer like other kids my age do. Sapphire and I will still be the perfect team whether we battle often or not, though, don't get me wrong!" She ran over to the Houndour and pulled her into her lap as she sat down on the floor. "Right, Sapphire? We're gonna be best friends, right?"

The little blue Houndour cocked her head to the side, her big ears flopping to the side in the process. She then panted happily and barked, almost as if she understood what Ru said and proceeded to lick her face. Ru giggled and hugged the baby Pokémon, causing her father's heart to melt at the sight. He just knew that she was going to do big things someday. And as an Elm, she'd never give up on her dreams. Ru was far too stubborn for that, just like her old man.

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"C'mon, Sapphire!" Ru called as the blue Houndour scurried after her outside of the lab. The duo ran laps around the building until the young girl stopped to point up at a wild Spearow perched on the tall brick wall. "Spearow at 12 o'clock! Look how healthy its plumage is!" She shouts to the Pokémon, who stares at her in acknowledgment and cocks its head to the side. Sapphire yips at the Spearow and runs up to the wall, causing it to fly away. Ru giggled and ran up to her companion, patting her head and then taking off to run around the lab again.

Professor Elm stepped outside with a cup of coffee, smiling happily while watching his daughter play with the Houndour he had given her only a few weeks ago. It was like the two had been partners for years, they were never seen apart. He looked up at the afternoon sky, spotting a vast sheet of dark clouds. He could hear some distant thunder and looked back toward his daughter. "Rufina, dear, why don't you and Sapphire come back inside before it rains? You can help me look at specimens under the microscope!"

"The microscope?!" Eagerly, Ru darted toward her father. She held the door open after Professor Elm had gone inside and looked behind her. "Let's go, Sapphire!" She called.

Sapphire seemed distracted, staring out past the archway leading outside the perimeter of the lab. A dark silhouette could be seen in the forest, looking right back at the baby Pokémon. Ru also noticed it and stared on awe; "Woah..." The moment it started to walk away, Sapphire growled and gave chase to the mysterious creature. Ru gasped and ran after her; "Sapphire, come back!" She didn't bother to close the door, leaving it cracked open. Her father didn't notice that she never actually entered the lab, speaking with his assistants while they held various books and stacks of papers.

Sapphire ran through the brush of the forest, following the sounds of snapping twigs and vegetation being shoved aside. Her owner followed as best she could, pushing away branches that were in her path. Ru winced when some branches smacked her in the face or tugged at her clothes, struggling to keep up with her companion through the woods. She could hear the storm practically over their heads at that point. When she felt a trickle of rain, Ru started to feel uneasy. She heard many stories of adults even getting lost or worse in a forest during a storm much like the one she found herself in. She was just lucky to have her Pokémon with her. But with how hard of a time she had keeping up with the Houndour, she wasn't even sure if Sapphire would even hear her if something were to happen. The rain started to spill from the sky now, drenching Ru's brown hair and chilling her to the bone. She could barely hear Sapphire barking, "Sapphire! Let's go home before the weather gets worse!" She yelled.

Sapphire didn't hear her, she kept chasing the figure until suddenly, a long leg stomped down in front of her. She ran into it and fell onto her butt. The young Houndour shook her head in recoil and followed the leg upward with her eyes, spotting elegant white ribbons flowing at the side of the creature. Looking back down at her with bright red eyes was a large Pokémon with a crown of crystal adorning their head, its stare intimidated the pup. She growled at the large blue and white Pokémon until it placed a paw on her head and gently pushed her lower to the ground as a way to tell her to 'shut up'. Suddenly, the two heard a scream, they looked to the south in surprise. Sapphire took off in that direction, discovering Ru cowering in front of an Ursaring, who was approaching her slowly with bared fangs. The Houndour let out a piercing howl, lunging toward the aggressive Pokémon and clamping her little jaws around its nose. The Ursaring jolted upward and roared, thrashing about in an attempt to remove the young Houndour off its snout. Ru watched in shock, having to force herself back on her feet to help her companion. "S-Sapphire- use ember, quick!" Immediately upon command, Sapphire let out a small string of fire at the wild Pokémon, burning it in the process. But as soon as she had released her grasp on the Ursaring's nose, it swiped at her with its massive paw, smashing her into the ground. "Sapphire!" Ru shouted in fright. The Houndour tried to stand but was barely able to even move. The young girl ran toward her to try and help her until the angered Ursaring threw its paw in her direction. Seeing the large set of claws flying toward her, Ru froze in place, bracing herself for a painful hit. That was, until, she heard an unfamiliar screech behind her. A slender blue Pokémon jumped between her and the wild Pokémon, taking the blow instead. It had very little effect, and the mysterious Pokémon countered it with bubblebeam. Ru recognized its features from her father's books, her green eyes widening in awe. "S-Suicune..." She muttered. "I don't believe it..!" The Suicune easily overpowered Ursaring, its techniques were swift and rather graceful. While the dueling Pokémon were distracted, Ru crawled over to Sapphire and carefully scooped her up into her lap. "Are you alright?" She was relieved to see the little pup dip her head in response.

"RUFINA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" A voice hollered from outside the forest, sounding very frantic and hoarse.

Ru knew exactly who it was and sighed, "We're in so much trouble..." She commented. "I'm over here, Daddy!" She responded, holding Sapphire as she stood up and ran in the direction of her father's voice. She had completely forgotten about the two Pokémon battling next to her and felt something trip her. The girl stumbled and rolled through the grass, slamming into a tree and letting out a loud grunt. The Ursaring roared and turned to try and attack the girl instead of the legendary Pokémon protecting her. Suicune wasn't having any of that and wedged itself between the Ursaring and Ru a second time. Ru's eyes fluttered open, rubbing her head as she shakily sat up. Her glasses fell off her face, shattering on the ground. Sapphire whined and laid beside her, watching Suicune fighting the Ursaring in awe. The Houndour heard bushes being shoved aside to her right and caught the creature's scent, ears perking up and letting out loud barks. Professor Elm threw himself out of the brush and was in disbelief seeing what was going on. He looked down to his left and saw his daughter and her Pokémon against a tree, running toward them. "Ru!" He skidded on his knees and grabbed the girl, frantically examining her for injuries. "Are you okay?! Tell me specifically where you're hurt! Does your spine feel fractured? What about your muscles?! Any tearing-"

"D-daddy you're crushing me!" Ru cried out, trying to get free from Professor Elm's tight grasp. When he let go, she rubbed her head; "I hit my head a little but I'm fine. Suicune saved me!" She pointed, seeing the Suicune now standing there in silence with the Ursaring now fleeing. The legendary Pokémon took a few steps closer, staring at the two humans and the young Pokémon with a content gaze. Professor Elm grabbed his daughter and held her close, watching Suicune carefully and keeping a hand over a Pokéball on his belt. He was unsure what the Pokémon would do next, regardless that it protected his daughter from an aggressive Ursaring. Suicune let out a great screech and suddenly took off deeper into the forest, leaving the father and daughter alone in the storm. The two were still in awe, staring into the forest where Suicune had disappeared. A big, goofy smile appeared on Ru's face and she shook Professor Elm's lab coat; "THAT WAS SO COOL!" She yelled, "Suicune saved me and Sapphire! If they hadn't shown up, Sapphire and I would've been in big trou-" She paused, seeing now her father giving her a dirty look. "ble... I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yes. Arceus knows what would've happened had SUICUNE of all things hadn't appeared to rescue you!" Professor Elm stood up with his daughter in his arms, taking the Pokéball from her belt and returning Sapphire into it. He clipped the Houndour's Pokéball onto his own belt beside his own small team and started heading back toward the lab. "Explain to me exactly why you took off into the forest? You know just as well as I do that some of the Pokémon around here are far too strong for you and Sapphire."

Ru pouted and avoided eye contact with her father, shivering slightly from how cold she was from her soaked clothes. "I know...but Sapphire took off into the forest and I had to follow her!"

"You could've told me she ran off and I would've gone after her for you. My Sentret or Corsola would've been able to handle that Ursaring better than Sapphire if it attacked me." He paused from walking for a moment and took off his lab coat, wrapping Ru in it and then continuing toward the opening in the treeline. He noticed the upset look on his daughter's face and frowned, nodding his head slowly before hugging her gently in his arms in an effort to stop her shivering, "Do you still wanna help me with the microscope once we get you into some dry clothes?"

Ru instantly changed moods and beamed, "Yeah! Can we examine some shed from your Corsola before we check those shells from the Weedle eggs?"

Professor Elm chuckled; "I don't see why not."

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Author's Note:

I hope you liked the first chapter! Chapter 2 is technically all set, it just needs some editing and a cover. I want to get to the Leon parts so bad but I wanna let you all get to know Ru a bit more first. But I promise it won't be too long of a wait!

And the title is subject to change...every other title I had come up with sounded like a cheesy western romance novel you'd find at a Goodwill store XD


	2. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ru finally gets to start on her new hobby as a Pokemon breeder, and learns to become an assistant to her father! But as time goes on, some harsh changes begin to occur and change a lot of her life. Right before finally starting her journey as Professor Elm's traveling research assistant.

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A few years had passed since the encounter with the legendary Pokémon Suicune, Ru had become obsessed with finding them again to mainly thank them for saving her life. Because of Suicune, she felt like she knew what she wanted to do when she was grown, which Professor Elm couldn't have been prouder to have his daughter following in his footsteps. All except for her obsession with researching Suicune, which closely mirrored his own bad habits. She was often solely focused on her research and nothing more, and she was only 16. Sapphire, now evolved to a Houndoom, laid at her feet, sleeping soundly while Ru wrote random sentences in her research notebook. The first page was already almost completely filled with writings about Suicune. She smiled once she was done and closed the brand new notebook, doing her best to keep from smearing the ink on the page she was just using. Professor Elm approached her desk and grinned, "Say, Ru, dear, why don't I show you something I've been building for some time now? It's something I'm certain you wouldn't mind borrowing from time to time if it interests you enough."

Ru looked over her shoulder at her father and stood up out of her chair; "Sure!" She followed Professor Elm outside of the lab and around the back, her blue Houndoom trotting after her. When rounding that final corner behind the lab, Ru gasped seeing a massive greenhouse-like structure almost as tall as the tower at the front of the lab. A large oak tree and a small pond stood as the centerpiece inside, in perfect view through the glass walls. A tiny Shinx was sleeping under a berry tree, holding half of an Oran berry in its mouth. Ru's eyes sparkled in awe, squishing her cheeks as she held an excited gasp. Professor Elm chuckled seeing his daughter's reaction and approached the glass doors, gesturing to it; "It's our very own Pokémon Sanctuary! And you'll be in charge of it. I know how much you were looking forward to trying your hand at breeding Pokémon so I decided we should have our very own little spot for our Pokémon. Just so we don't have to bother the old couple down the road too much."

"I LOVE IT!" Ru barged through the doors and scooped up the little Shinx, startling it awake from its nap. Out of a brief moment of fright, its blue and yellow fur began to glitter with electricity before- 'ZZZZT!'. It released a jolt, blinding Ru temporarily. Sapphire ran through the doors and growled at the Shinx to defend her owner, to which the little Pokémon in Ru's arm growled back in response. Ru quickly shook away the static, her vision slowly returning to normal, and used her knee to gently push the Houndoom away, "S-Sapphire, it's okay! I just scared her is all!"

"Gee, I would've thought you'd be better when it comes to scaring the baby Pokémon than me... Like father, like daughter I suppose." Professor Elm jested, though he had an obvious tone of concern seeing the girl was still slightly dazed by the Shinx. Ru gave her father a dirty look as she carefully put the Shinx down, who ran back to the tree and growled at Sapphire a second time before licking its paw. "That Shinx is also yours, she is the first Pokémon born in this little facility. And also the result of an experiment I wanted to try, which was attempting to breed a Ditto with a Luxio. And as you can see, it worked! I heard of many people doing it before but never tried it myself until now."

"Wait, you can breed a Ditto?"

"You certainly can! Since their only move is 'transform', they can transform into the Pokémon you're keeping them with and if all goes well, they will eventually breed as if the Ditto were actually the same species. Pretty fascinating, huh?"

Ru was bewildered by this new information and looked back at the Shinx, who cautiously approached her when she sat on her knees. "So, does that mean this Shinx is part Ditto or..?"

Professor Elm chuckled and shook his head; "No, she is 100% a Shinx. Have you forgotten all I've taught you about the theory of Ditto?" A goofy grin crept up on his face, causing his daughter to roll her eyes.

Ru actually had to think about it for a moment, then looked up at her father, "Oh, right! Because of its ability to transform it can actually use as much as a tiny strand of hair or dander from the Pokémon it wants to transform into to replicate its entire DNA structure. And in the process, it can perfectly create a pseudo version of that anatomy."

"Precisely! So that makes the Shinx a completely normal Shinx." He stepped over to join Ru by the little baby Pokémon and the Houndoom, who sat beside him when he leaned against the large oak. He watched the young teen attempt to befriend the slightly skittish Pokémon, who was taking her time getting within reach of the human girl. Professor Elm felt his heart melt when seeing the Shinx soon rub her head against Ru's hand, letting out a mewing-like sound. "You know, I've been told it's quite a challenge to raise a Shinx. You sure you're up to the task?" He reached out to pet the little blue Pokémon until it narrowed its bright eyes and hissed at him. "Eh, she's a lot more ornery than before..."

Ru giggled at her father and nodded slowly, "I think I'll be able to manage. She'll be a fun challenge if she does prove to be a harder Pokémon to train compared to Sapphire." She then jumped onto her feet and threw herself into Professor Elm, wrapping her arms around him in a hug; "Thank you, Daddy! I can't wait to start using this little facility."

Professor Elm returned the embrace and stroked the little girl's head, "You're welcome, Rufina dear. I don't doubt you'll use this to the best of its abilities."

"Professor!" A young man popped out from around the corner, waving a collection of letters in his hand. "The mail is here and there's something important in here for you."

Professor Elm turned to look at the assistant, then approached them curiously. He took the letter in question from them and read the address on the front. His eyes widened for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Ru, I'm heading inside. Don't be out here too long, it's supposed to rain soon." He waved to his daughter as he followed the young man back into the lab.

Ru cocked her head to the side in confusion, she hadn't seen such an expression on her father's face in some time. It worried her, especially the tone of voice he had used to dismiss himself. She carefully picked up the Shinx, carrying it out of the little sanctuary and running toward the front of the lab, followed by Sapphire. The teen creaked the front door open slowly, taking a peek to see where her father was before entering the building. She spotted him at his desk reading the letter he had taken from the assistant moments ago. His firm, frustrated gaze made Ru really concerned for him. He moved to the lab's pc and turned it on, using its calling software. Ru immediately recognized the number on the screen and quickly snuck inside, keeping silent to eavesdrop on the conversation. A woman popped up on the screen, looking a lot like an older version of Ru but without glasses and darker brown hair. She had a rather malicious grin on her face. "I assume you got my letter?" Dark green eyes peered down at the Professor as she spoke up first.

Elm rubbed his temples, his brows knitting together angrily at the woman, "That letter was extremely unnecessary. I'm very certain you still have my number, I shouldn't have to be the one to call you first. For the last time, I won custody of her long ago. And I've told you many times now that Rufina does not want to go visit you. You're going to have to take 'no' for an answer at some point before you completely destroy whatever image you have left in her head."

"Oh, please! All children will miss their mother at some point, it's just a fact. Besides, I'll only take no for an answer if I see her tell it to my face directly." The woman didn't seem visibly annoyed but the tone in her voice was proof enough under that dark smile of hers.

Ru shuddered as she watched her father argue with her mother. Her voice always sent chills down the girl's spine and made her blood boil. She didn't like her mother at all. Her parents were divorced and her mother was currently living in Kanto, along with Ru's younger half-brother. "Where is my beautiful little girl anyway?" The woman asked the Professor.

"She's busy." He responded flatly. "She's outside tending to the new facility I built for her to start her own research in Pokémon breeding. Not that you'd care. I'd hate to bore you with my studies, and I'm certain her studies would bore you just as much."

"Please, nobody can blabber on as much as you when it comes to your stupid research. And if Ru is anything like me, she'd know better than to-"

"I'm NOTHING like you!" Ru jumped behind Professor Elm's chair, startling the man when she appeared in view of the computer's camera. "And I never wanna see you again! You hurt my daddy and I'll never forgive you for that!" She clutched the Shinx in her arms, who looked up at her concerningly.

The woman was still unfazed, just laughing at Ru's comments. "My, you've grown so much, Rufina. You're looking more and more like me as you age, must be why your father hasn't let you leave that filthy lab yet. So what he has left of me is with him forever, and he'll always be able to remember my beautiful face after I'm forever out of his hair. You best be careful, sweetie."

"Shut up!" Ru yelled, squeezing the little Shinx. Her tight grip caused the baby Pokémon to yelp and let out a massive bolt of electricity, cutting power to the entire lab. Dazed from the Shinx's electricity, Ru collapsed with a groan. She rubbed her head while recovering from the temporary blindness the Shinx caused her yet again. It took a few minutes for the generators to return power to the lab. Professor Elm stood up out of his seat and knelt onto the floor beside his daughter worriedly, "Ru..."

"I'm fine!" She shoved his hand away when he tried touching her shoulder. "You're not really going to make me go visit her, are you..?" Tears welled in her green eyes, still hugging the Shinx.

Professor Elm frowned sadly, looking back at the computer that was still rebooting. He sighed and pulled the girl closer to him, stroking her back. "Of course not. I won't make you, nor can she make you either." He took the Shinx out of his daughter's arms and put them on the ground to hug his daughter lovingly. "Don't you pay any mind to what she says. You're nothing like her, everything she said was to only get to you. None of it was true. In fact, you're growing up to be WAY prettier than her."

That last part at least got Ru to crack a smile, wiping her watery eyes and looking up at Professor Elm. "I at least hope what she said about you keeping me here just to remember her was a lie too."

"Oh, that was the biggest lie of them all! I keep you around because you're the most helpful around the lab, and you're the best daughter anybody could ask for. I'd be a fool to 'get rid of you'!" He pulled Ru onto his lap and lightly tickled her under her arms.

She squealed with laughter and squirmed in her father's arms before rolling off his lap and staggering onto her feet, her sides sore from laughter. Sapphire approached her owner and touched her nose against the girl's hand, whining with concern. Ru smiled as she looked down at the Houndoom and patted her blue head, "It's okay, Sapphire. Everything's okay now." The Shinx even trotted up and mewed at Ru, ears low and smiling a little kitten-like smile. The girl picked her up and stroked her little head; "Right, sorry for squeezing you earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you!"

The Shinx mewed a response then rubbed her head into Ru's hand, making her giggle more. Professor Elm stood up and chuckled, sitting back down in his chair now that the computer had finished rebooting. He sighed in relief seeing the video call didn't restart and worked on making sure none of his recent data wasn't erased. "Ru, why don't you feed your Pokémon while my assistants and I work on recovering anything that might've gotten lost during that temporary outage? I'm sure Sapphire is especially famished."

"Right! C'mon, Sapphire." Ru motioned the Houndoom to follow, running to the stairs leading to the second floor of the lab that was her and her father's home.

Professor Elm watched until his daughter was out of sight, then frowned and leaned back in his chair, holding his hands behind his head. He stared at the computer for a moment before leaning forward on the desk and removing his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "Are you alright, Professor?" One of his assistants approached worriedly, "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, it's quite alright. I'll be fine. That conversation with Anais was pretty draining, I'm more worried about Ru..." Professor Elm put his glasses back on and turned his chair slightly to look at the assistant standing behind him. "She's never gotten that upset before, let alone yell that much. I'm glad you gave me that Shinx for her." The assistant dipped their head, now walking away from their boss. The man looked back at his computer once more, turning to now continue recovering any lost data. The thought of Ru's reaction to her mother, Anais, couldn't escape his mind. He could only hope that his daughter would never have to actually see her mother in person for a long time.

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Now about a young adult, no more than 20, Ru had become a full-time assistant for her father and was a huge help with his research in Pokémon breeding. She had become quite the breeder herself, having bred up to 15 different species now. Leaving the large building just behind the lab, she carried an egg with her. The large, pale blue egg wiggled in her arms, showing sure signs of hatching at any moment. Ru smirked and wrapped the egg in a blanket as she hurried into the lab. "Daddy, I have a surprise for you!" She ran up to Professor Elm, who was looking into a microscope.

"Eh, put it on my desk next and I'll look at it in a little bit." He responded, pointing at the cluttered space to his left.

Ru frowned and grabbed the back of his chair, yanking him away from his desk and twirling his chair around to place the egg in his lap. "No- now or you'll miss your chance to bond with it!" Immediately after scolding her father, the top of the egg popped open, the broken shards of the shell falling onto the tile. All that could be seen inside was a blue lump. Professor Elm blinked a few times in perplexion, bringing his hand over the egg and poking the lump. "Huh, odd. What Pokémon is it?"

"Wha? But it was so lively earlier!" Ru leaned over to look into the egg in confusion, adjusting her square glasses to focus on the lump. Suddenly, the rest of the egg shattered, and the newborn Pokémon clamped its jaws onto the Professors' hand that hovered over it. He recoiled and jolted out of his seat, flailing his arm around wildly. Ru panicked and tried pulling the Pokémon off, falling onto her butt when it finally released its grasp on her father's hand. "Man, Totodile's really like biting your hands!" Ru couldn't help but laugh while the Professor rubbed his punctured hand. She examined the little croc Pokémon, rubbing its scaly head while standing back up. "She's very healthy, despite that little moment of chaos she caused."

"It's female?" Professor Elm glanced down at the Totodile in surprise. "Quite rare to have a female Totodile nowadays."

Ru nodded, holding out the little creature to her father with a warm smile; "I found out the best way to predict the gender of the baby and I predicted this one would be female. I know how much you don't like how often the Totodile's we give to new trainers like biting you but I also know you wish there was better security around here. So I thought- why not raise this little lady up to a Feraligatr to protect you and the lab! Y'know, when you think I'm ready to help your international research, she'll be here to keep you out of trouble."

Professor Elm cautiously took the Totodile, petting its head gently. When it looked up at him with its big brown eyes, he couldn't help but smile and dipped his head. "Well, if you help me train her then I'll promise not to miss you too much with her around."

"Oh, that's not why I'm giving her to you! I don't want that nasty Team Rocket or someone else coming by to try and steal a Pokémon when you're not paying attention. And especially when they can hurt you like before. Your back can't handle any more hits against a wall because your Sentret can't handle a little Sneasel." Ru was definitely lecturing her father but she wasn't angry with him. "I swear...if a KID can steal from the lab, then you're definitely going to need something bigger and stronger than Sentret and Corsola to protect you." She giggled when her father gave her a pout, hugging the little Totodile, who didn't exactly understand what was going on. "Sapphire will help me train her too so she'll be the best bodyguard you could ever ask for. At least, she can when her eggs hatch, which should also be any day now. I should go check up on her."

"Ah, that's right! Sapphire, had quite a few eggs this time too, huh?" Professor Elm followed his daughter out of the lab and to the large Pokémon sanctuary, still holding on to the baby Pokémon in his arms. His daughter nodded, walking into the elegant glass building and holding the door open for him. She led him to the back of the room, where a rock formation sloped over a nest, acting like a small, shallow cave. Sapphire jumped out and barked at Ru and the Professor, grabbing her owner's jacket sleeve and leading her to the little nest.

"Is it finally time, Sapphire?" Ru giggled, letting the Houndoom lead her over to the cave. Inside were two dark-spotted eggs, where Sapphire sat close to them and nudged one. The egg she touched reacted and rolled onto its side. The other egg began to crack, followed by a little black stubby tail poking out of the hole. Both Ru and Professor Elm beamed, eager to meet the new arrivals. With a few scratches from its tiny claws, a little Houndour popped out, pale black and orange fur. Ru cooed in awe of the baby and sat on her knees in front of the nest. "So cute!! It didn't take them long to hatch at all." She reached out to gently touch the Houndour, examining it much as she did with her father's new Totodile. "This one's a girl! Arceus- her coat is so pretty, much paler than any Houndour I've ever seen. I can't wait to see if her sibling will have a pale coat too."

"Perhaps her pale coat is a hint of Sapphire's genetics since she's pretty pale for a shiny." Professor Elm commented.

Ru nodded in agreement, jumping when feeling the other egg nudge against the Houndour and her hand. Sapphire picked up the pup and moved her to the side, giving the egg room to hatch next. It took longer for the second egg to hatch, which caused some concern for Ru. But before she could attempt to intervene, the shell came apart into tiny pieces. She and her father were in disbelief when they saw its gorgeous light blue fur. "An alternate-colored Houndour!" The young woman said.

"What luck- Sapphire actually had a shiny Houndour! Her genetics must be pretty hereditary." Professor Elm brushed away eggshells off the little blue pup, getting a better look at its coat. "Its coat actually appears to be a lot lighter than both its sister and mother."

Ru checked up on the new Houndour, nodding slowly to what her father said before looking to Sapphire and petting her head. "A boy and a girl, and a very special pair, Sapphire! I can't wait to train them both with Daddy's Totodile."

The Houndoom licked her owner's hand and barked a reply before laying down in the nest, curling up around her two pups. While watching the mother Houndoom bond with her newborns, Professor Elm leaned over to Ru, "Are you going to name these two like you named Sapphire? Maybe also give them gemstone names?"

"Hmm..." Ru scratched her chin, pondering her father's question for a moment. She grinned and snapped her fingers together once coming up with names; "Laika and Rocco!"

Professor Elm looked at his daughter in confusion, "Those aren't names of gemstones though..."

"I know! But I've always wanted to name two of my Pokémon those names, and these Houndour get the honor of having those names." Ru enjoyed her father's reaction, shaking her head while laughing. "What? I really like those names!"

Professor Elm laughed with her, rubbing the back of his head; "Well, they are your Pokémon, after all. I won't judge too much." He then stood up, still holding the Totodile, and patted Ru's head. "I gotta get back to my work. Don't have too much fun with those pups now, you don't want them to be too attached to you and not want to be with their mother."

"I won't, I won't!" Ru stuck her tongue out at her father, making him bellow with laughter as he left the sanctuary.

A couple of months passed, Ru struggling to train three young Pokémon while also preparing for her long trip. Professor Elm decided she was finally ready to start her journey outside of Johto and help him research Pokémon in every region. Ru was set to go to Kanto for her first year away from home under the wings of Professor Oak, who would help her learn how to do field research. Laika and Rocco had already grown stronger alongside Professor Elm's Totodile, who was already almost ready to evolve into a Croconaw. The pups played all around the sanctuary, causing quite a bit of chaos and annoying Ru's Luxio that helped guard the building. It was storming outside, making the twin Houndour extremely curious about the world outside the building they were born in. They were only let out when Ru could watch them with Sapphire due to how troublesome the siblings could be. While they normally remained obedient and never left the sanctuary, they were especially tempted to explore on their own. Rocco scampered toward the entrance, wedging his little nose between the small crack of the door until he was able to squeeze through. Once outside, he turned and howled for his sister, who was extremely hesitant to leave. With her little tail between her legs, Laika approached the doors, letting out a soft yip to reply to her brother. She put a paw on the door, then copying what her brother did to force her way outside the sanctuary. And the moment she was out, she immediately began scratching at the door to be let back inside. Rocco barked and dragged her by the tail away from the doors, heading toward the front of the lab. The twin Houndour trotted over to the archway exiting the property, looking behind them at a large structure. They spotted their owner speaking to the tall older man they often heard her refer to as 'Daddy', then rushed out onto the dirt patch. Laika stood in a puddle of water, sniffing the air curiously. Rocco sniffed the ground, following what he was tracking all the way into the forest. Laika didn't notice her brother wandering away until it was too late. She looked around, not seeing the blue Houndour anywhere. Panicked, she let out a few howls to call for him before running into the forest. Laika managed to catch up to her brother, who was on top of a massive pile of rocks. Rocco jumped around on them, holding a stick with a cluster of berries on it. He spotted his sister and yipped to make her join him on the rocks. Laika approached, sniffing the boulders cautiously. Suddenly, the rocks began to shake, disrupting the dirt all around them as a few of the stones began to rise into the air. Rocco stumbled off and onto the grass beside his sister, dropping the berries in the process. Laika hunkered down in fright, watching a massive Onix slowly turn to stare down at them. The twins had disturbed its slumber, upsetting it tremendously. The Onix let out a piercing roar, lunging at the Houndour duo. Rocco grabbed his sister and tossed her aside and he just barely dodged the large Pokémon's attack. He rolled across the open field, covered in a few bruises as he shakily stood back up on his feet. Rocco howled to his sister, a tiny ember being launched out of his mouth at the Onix immediately afterward. It barely had any effect on his opponent, if you didn't count irritating it further. When finally realizing just how in danger they were, Rocco and Laika let out a great howl in unison, calling for help.

Inside the lab, Sapphire slept soundly under Ru's desk, allowing her owner to rest her feet on top of her back. Ru leaned back in her chair and stretched, letting out a soft yawn. Suddenly, Sapphire lifted her head, looking around in alert before zipping out from under the desk. Her quick movements caused Ru's chair to be knocked over, which Ru had nearly hit her head on one of the machines behind her when falling onto the ground. "Sapphire! What's gotten into you?" She sat up and rubbed her head, watching the Houndoom rush to the door. Professor Elm looked over from his desk, which was closest to the door. But before he could leave his chair, Sapphire unexpectedly burst through the door, making a huge hole in it with her horns. Ru ran over in shock, the left door falling off its hinges just seconds after Sapphire disappeared.

"What's going on?" Professor Elm asked Ru worriedly.

"I dunno, she just suddenly ran out from under my desk and knocked my chair over!"

"We'll be right back, Jiro!" The Professor called out to one of his assistants, who dipped their head in understanding. Ru followed her father out of the lab to look for Sapphire, worried about why she took off so aggressively.

Laika and Rocco jumped out of the way of the Onix's tail again, kicking up dust when they lost their balance. Both were breathing heavily, covered in scrapes and bruises, clearly in a weakened state from fighting against a much stronger Pokémon. Rocco suddenly collapsed, sides heaving and shaking from how in pain he was. Laika whined and pawed at her brother, trying to get him to move. Suddenly the Onix roared, lunging toward the twins again. Something clicked in Laika, and she pushed Rocco away, then ran toward the Onix in turn. Purple smoke emitted from her mouth as she intentionally let the Pokémon hit her with its horn. The smog surrounded the Onix when she was hurled in the air, poisoning the rock-type Pokémon despite it not being very effective. Laika, even weaker than before, was falling from almost above the trees, barely able to adjust how she was going to land. That was, until, something caught her mid-air. Sapphire, holding the Houndour by the scruff, landed in front of Rocco and carefully placed Laika beside her brother. The Houndoom snarled at Onix, getting between it and the twins. Laika watched as her mother fought against the angry wild Pokémon, fire and stones flying everywhere. The twins were so frightened, watching Sapphire relentlessly attack Onix until suddenly, it released a gust of its own breath at her, almost like a dragon. It tossed Sapphire in the air and slammed her down, immediately paralyzing her. The blue Houndoom couldn't move, she laid in the dirt while the Onix swung all of its weight into her, causing a wall of dust to surround them. And the entire forest went silent, the only sound was the rain pattering against the ground and the rumbling thunder. Laika and Rocco looked around, only seeing a long dirt trail leading back into the forest, followed by broken shards of rock and snapped tree saplings. Both let out weak howls to call for their mother. But no howl could be heard back.

"Sapphire!" Ru burst through the bushes, looking around for her Houndoom.

Professor Elm followed close behind, the first one to spot the injured Houndour in the grass; "What are Laika and Rocco doing out here?" He questioned.

"Ah! That's what Sapphire must've been so quick to leave the lab for!" Ru hurried to the twins, scooping them up and checking them for any major injuries. She sighed in relief when seeing they weren't seriously hurt aside from some shallow cuts. Both she and the Professor noticed the damage done to the forest, realizing what might've gone on. Ru's heart sank, "Something was clearly attacking Laika and Rocco...Sapphire came to protect them..."

"But...where is Sapphire?" Professor Elm wandered the opening in the forest, checking the disturbed dirt. He found the rock shards and some blue fur. "I think it was an Onix that attacked the twins."

"Sapphire! Where are you?" Ru called, walking around while holding the two Houndour. She wandered deeper into the forest with her father behind her, looking everywhere for Sapphire. They looked for what seemed like hours, coming up to the most southern edge of Johto. Ru continued looking on the beach until she found a broken piece of a horn. She gasped in horror, recognizing the pale silver color to it despite the dirt and sand covering it. The young woman nearly dropped the Houndour pups in her arms when she hit her knees in the sand, staring at the broken horn. Professor Elm ran over, concerned for his daughter until seeing the piece of the horn for himself. "S-Sapphire..." Ru's eyes watered, releasing the pups to slowly pick up the horn piece and hug it tightly. She began to sob, fearing the worst had happened to her beloved Houndoom. Professor Elm sat down beside his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder; "Oh, Ru..." Laika and Rocco watched their owner sadly, ears flat on the back of their heads. They let out howls to grieve themselves, sitting in the sand in front of Ru and the Professor. It didn't make sense, how could a huge Onix and blue Houndoom just suddenly disappear? Professor Elm continued looking around for clues of what could've happened to them. But to no avail. Frustrated with the situation, all he could do was escort his grieving daughter home, just hoping that someday Sapphire would turn up.

Weeks passed and Sapphire never returned. Leaving only her broken horn as a reminder of the life she lived at Ru's side, and the influence she made on her final two offspring, Laika and Rocco. Her fight to protect the twins sparked something within Laika, giving her the confidence she needed to perhaps one day become just as good of a Pokémon to her master like her mother before her. Which she certainly would, if not become a much better companion for Ru in the future. The search had to stop, Ru only had two days left to finish packing up for Kanto and finish any training she had left for her father's now evolved Crocanaw. Her journey was truly about to begin, and for what her future had in store for her, would truly surprise her. And what awaited her in a region much further away from Johto than Kanto was.

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Author's Note:

I promise we'll get to Galar soon! I'm trying to fit what else I wanna write before then in 3 more chapters if not maybe 2. We'll have to see. I'd really just like to have Ru fleshed out before throwing her into the sole reason I'm writing about her so not only the readers can get to know her but to also make this a bit different from one fanfic I dared to post long ago that's probably still total garbage to this day. A slow-burn fic so to speak! I promise I'll try to keep it entertaining though!


	3. ANNOUNCEMENT

(I don't know how else to post this... :'D )

After some thought, I've realized Ru's whole backstory would be too large to fit it plus her time in Galar in one fic. So this series will remain the same but with a title change and only be about her adventures throughout other regions. While the title and main cover will be moved to a new fic that'll go STRAIGHT to when she goes to Galar. This one won't be canceled but will not be my main focus. Updates for this one will be slower. Can't wait to share with you all more of my writing and improving it! <3

~ Jynx


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